Whether you’re deadlifting or breaking a sweat with cardio, investing in good quality rubber flooring is a decision that will make a big difference to your home gym’s looks and practicality.
If you’re wondering how thick a floor should be for a home gym, you’re not alone. The answer really depends on the exercises you’ll be doing, how often and the space and budget you have. But choosing the right rubber home gym flooring is also important for your own safety while exercising.
Thinking of building your own dream home gym? Our popular range of Sprung rubber fitness tiles and rolls is the place to start.
Here’s a quick guide to home gym flooring to help you decide.
Table of Contents
Home Gym Set-Up: How Thick is a Floor?
When to use Rubber Rolls for Gym Flooring?
When to use Rubber Tiles for Gym Flooring?
Home Gym Set-Up: How Thick is a Floor?
The recommended thickness for rubber home gym flooring is anywhere between 10-80mm. To decide on the thickness of your home gym flooring, it’s first helpful to consider the surface underneath. Flat, solid surfaces like concrete or flagstone are the best base for laying gym flooring, while weak floorboards are more prone to damage.
Putting the right home gym flooring will protect you and your home’s under flooring from impact damage. As most home gyms will have heavy equipment, rubber is the best choice of flooring material.
For home gyms with heavy machines and free weights, make sure you have a rubber flooring thickness of 15mm to 30mm - this will depend on the weight of the equipment you use. If you’re deadlifting or lifting dumbbells over 140kg, it’s recommended to add up to 40-60mm of flooring for extra protection.
If you have a cardio or plate load area in your gym, 6mm to 12mm is recommended for the equipment and machinery.
If you’re doing exercises like pilates, yoga, HIIT or any other similar workouts, you can opt for foam flooring instead. Eva foam tatami matting is a softer material than rubber that can provide bounce and cushioning. For best results, try foam flooring from 20mm thick and above.
When to use Rubber Rolls for Gym Flooring?
Rubber gym flooring rolls are great for both big and small home gyms and perfect for those who want a seamless finish or have larger areas to cover. Gym floor rolls are cost effective, easy to lay and have less waste when installing. They also offer great durability, impact absorption and traction.
Expert Tip:
"Rubber Roll is one of the best for big wide open spaces" says Gareth (Sprung Technical Advisor). "It minimises the waste when cutting to size and fits great around tricky corners. Rolls are heavy though so you’ll need a second person to help with fitting".
When to use Rubber Tiles for Gym Flooring?
Rubber tiles are another popular home gym flooring choice because of their convenience. Rubber mats come in various sizes, perfect for smaller home gyms and can be easily moved and replaced. Rubber gym tiles are also very versatile in function - most exercises and training can be done on their surface and they come in thicker options that support heavy weights and training like olympic lifting and CrossFit.
Here’s a summary of tile and roll thicknesses by activity.
Conclusion
When choosing the best flooring for your home gym, it’s good to ask how thick a floor is so you buy the right product for you. Whether you choose rubber gym tiles or rubber rolls it's down to space, budget and use. When you combine all these, you’ll find the right gym flooring thickness and properties to protect your body, equipment and under flooring.
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